Guide: Get started with Reaper

Reaper is a fully fledged DAW (Digital audio workstation) with support for effects and instruments plug-ins. The main features are:

Create, import, edit and save wave-audio and midi

Import video and create your soundtrack while you have the video on-screen. Save your video to a number of formats, or export the soundtrack for use in your video editor

While Reaper is less that a 10 Mb download, it’s by no means a simple program. In fact, with its ton of features, it can be extremely complicated. So even though your own creativity is the limit, you should be prepared to face great challenges.

Install and configure Reaper

Here’s an easy to-do-list to get you started with this amazing program:

If you have an external midi/audio keyboard connect it to the PC and turn it on

Install Reaper

When Reaper starts up, you’ll be asked to select the audio device. Click yes. In the configuration for Audio device in Reaper choose ASIO as audio system

Click on Asio configuration an drag the Asio buffer size to eg. 96 samples
- You’ll have to fiddle a little with this to get the best result; so take a note
- It’s a balance between latency and distortion, and different for each system

To the left in the configuration click on the Audio MIDI device double click on your external keyboard and place a mark to enable input and control messages. Click ok to remove the window. Below, in the Midi output make sure Microsoft GS Wavetable synth is disabled

Scroll down to the Plug-ins VST section. Click on Add, and navigate it to “My VST plug-ins”

Click on Apply and ok . Click on the About window. Click on Still evaluating and close Reaper

To record on the track it needs to be armed. This can be automated (Menu bar: Track … Set all tracks to automatic record-arm when track selected): However, you should be aware that this doesn’t disarm a previously armed track

Solo

To hear only a specific track(s)

The Fx button

To apply effects and instruments to the track

Create / edit a video soundtrack in Reaper

Action

How

1.

Import video into Reaper

Drag the video from either Windows Explorer
Or Media Explorer (Ctrl + Alt + x) to the Arrange area

2.

Open Video window

Ctrl + Shift +v or
Menu bar View … Video Window

3.

Create / edit the soundtrack

Use the techniques described below

Record audio in Reaper

Action

How

1.

Insert a new audio track

Ctrl + t
Right click in the Track control panel and choose Insert new track or
Click on Insert in the in the Menu bar and click on Track

2.

Prepare the track for recording

Click the Record Armed button

3.

Ensure sound output

Check that Record Monitoring is set to ON

Edit audio in Reaper

Basically you can edit the audio in 3 different ways

Adjust the parameters of the soundtrack (Volume, pan etc.)

Add a virtual effect to the soundtrack

Move, copy, delete, loop, split etc. the soundtrack

1. Adjust the parameters of the audio in Reaper

Action

How

1.

Prepare the parameter for Automation

Click the Track envelope / Automation
Put a mark by the parameter that you want to automate

2.

Insert Keypoints

In the Parameter line of the Media Item, insert Keypoints (Shift + left mouse)

3.

Adjust the Keypoints

Drag the Keypoints to the desired position

2. Add a virtual effect to audio in Reaper

Action

How

Basic procedure

Click on the Fx button (Shift + e) and choose the effect
Adjust the parameters in the Effect Window
If you want to automate the effect:
Click the Track envelope / Automation
Put a mark by the effect that you want to automate
In the FX line of the Media Item, insert Keypoints (Shift + left mouse)
Drag the Keypoints to the desired position

Let’s try to remove some hiss / noise

1.

Record the take

Start or end the take with 5-10 sec. of silence (aka noise)

2.

Mark the silence

Select the silent seconds with the mouse

3.

Put on the silence-effect

Click the Fx button (Shift + e)
Select: ReaFir (FFT EQ+Dynamics Processor) (Cockos)
Set the Fx to: Mode: Subtract and put a mark in “Automatically build noise profile”
Set Toggle Repeat to ON (on the Transport bar)
Click Play and click stop
(You now have your noise profile)
Remove the mark in “Automatically build noise profile”
Close the Fx-window

3. Move, copy, delete etc. the audio in Reaper

Action

How

As these edits will effect both Audio and Video you should reserve them for the additional audio tracks

1.

Split up the soundtrack

Left click on the desired split-point on the Timeline
Press s

2.

Delete a section

Either Click on the selection and press delete or Ctrl + x (Cut) or right click the selection and choose Remove Items

Record a virtual instrument (midi) in Reaper

Right click in the Track control panel and choose Insert virtual instrument on new track or
Click on Insert in the Menu bar and click on Insert virtual instrument on new track

2.

Choose the instrument

Choose your instrument from the FX pop-up.
Eg. Piano One. After choosing Piano One, close the “Piano One x86 bridged” window and the FX Piano One track-window

3.

Ensure sound output

Check that Record Monitoring is set to ON

4.

Start recording

Ctrl + r
Click on the record button

Edit a virtual instrument (midi) in Reaper

Action

How

1.

Bring up the Piano Roll (Midi Take)

Double click on the insertion point in the Audio Item.

2.

Edit the note(s)

Use the mouse to move or adjust the position / length of the note(s).
Select multiple notes by right dragging with the mouse.
Adjust parameters for the note(s) by choosing the parameter in the bottom left corner, and reduce / increase the parameter using the staves to the right.
If you’ve chosen multiple notes, you can use the mouse to draw a line for the parameter.

Draw a midi pattern (drums/bass etc.) in Reaper

Action

How

1.

Insert a new virtual instrument track

Right click in the Track control panel and choose Insert virtual instrument on new track or Click on Insert in the Menu bar and click on Insert virtual instrument on new track

Press Ctrl + Shift + m to bring up the Track Manager
Mark the tracks below DSK Drumz – AkoustiK and click on the first marked TCP and MCP dot
Close the Track Manager

4.

Ensure sound output

Check that Record Monitoring is set to ON

5.

Bring focus to the track

Click on the track

5.

Create a beat to edit

Click Insert in the in the Menu bar and select New MIDI item

6.

Bring up the Piano Roll (Midi Take) Window

Double click on the insertion point in the Media Item and start drawing your notes. The drums are on the white notes C2 to C3.
To make it a bit easier, you can download the name of the drums here. You can then load the names in the Piano Roll/Midi take-window: File … Customize note names … Load note names from file … Navigate to the downloaded text file